The letter had been filed and we were never told about the polyp growth. I know everybody makes mistakes, but this is a huge mistake to make.

Clare Evans, Wayne's wife

"His tumour had been left to grow for three years and by the time they tried to operate, it was far too advanced and he died in 2013.

"If it had been removed when he had the first tests, it's likely he would be cancer free today and we wouldn't have such a gaping hole in our family."

In a legal case against the practice, medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors alleged that the tests in 2008 – which showed the abnormal growth – had been wrongly filed away at the GP practice after being sent from Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.

Clare says life for her and their daughters Natasha, 23, and Chloe, 19, will never be the same again, and is speaking about the loss of her husband in the hope it will encourage others to keep on at their doctors if they feel something is wrong.